Science - USA (2021-12-24)

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PHOTO: JORGE SAAVEDRA

NEWS | IN BRIEF

The National Science Foundation could get
up to half that amount for a new technology
directorate that would focus on speeding
up the commercial application of aca-
demic research funded by NSF’s ongoing
programs. However, those increases could
shrink—or even disappear—if lawmakers
extend a freeze on all federal agency
budgets, now in place until at least mid-
February 2022, for the rest of the fiscal year.

Biodiversity pact to get stronger

CONSERVATION | Safeguards for endan-
gered species could get a boost if nations
adopt a new framework for the Convention
on Biological Diversity, to be in effect until

2050. Under a plan developed by negotia-
      tors for a meeting in 2022 in China, the
      196 nations involved would seek to expand
      protection of natural ecosystems, emphasize
      sustainability, ensure that profits from using
      genetic resources are shared equitably,
      and raise at least $700 million by 2030 to
      fund these efforts. Targets include conserv-
      ing 30% of the land and sea; reducing
      the spread of invasive species; halving the
      world’s pollution, including reducing pesti-
      cide use by two-thirds and eliminating the
      discharge of plastic waste; and increasing

city dwellers’ access to “green and blue”

spaces. The new plan aims to improve on

a previous one, adopted in 2010, that set

goals for 2020, which were not completely

met. New approaches include establishing

ways to monitor and report progress toward

protecting species and ecosystems and

doing more to involve stakeholders, such as

Indigenous people, in making decisions.

China moves to allow GM crops

AGRICULTURE | China will likely approve

the first commercial planting of geneti-

cally modified (GM) corn and soybeans,

under proposed revisions to field trial

and safety requirements unveiled in

November. GM corn seeds could be on

the market by the end of 2022. Currently,

papaya is the only GM plant for human

consumption approved for production

within China. GM cotton is widely culti-

vated, and GM poplar is also available.

China has funded research on GM corn

and soybeans for more than 10 years, but

public opposition and official caution

kept the plants in the lab. The country

imports large quantities of GM corn and

soybeans for use in processed food and

animal feed, which has led to calls from

government officials to relax restrictions

on growing GM varieties domestically. The

government is unlikely to allow commer-

cialization of GM rice soon because China

is self-sufficient in the grain and consum-

ers are wary about modifications to the

country’s most important staple food.

Methane hunter to orbit

GLOBAL WARMING | At November’s climate

summit in Glasgow, U.K., world leaders

made a commitment to cut their emissions

of methane, a powerful greenhouse gas,

30% by 2030. But to verify whether those

cuts actually happen, a new generation of

satellites targeting greenhouse gas emissions

will begin to reach orbit in 2022. One is

MethaneSAT, set for launch in October and

developed by the Environmental Defense

Fund, a nonprofit climate advocacy group.

It is expected to sharpen the ability to detect

methane plumes from sources such as rice

paddies and leaking pipelines. Soon after, it

will be joined by two satellites developed by

the nonprofit Carbon Mapper project, target-

ing the world’s worst emitters—not just of

methane, but also of carbon dioxide, the

primary gas driving global warming.

Malaria vaccine arrives in Africa

PUBLIC HEALTH | In 2022 for the first

time, countries across Africa will be

able to use a vaccine to protect children

against malaria, which still kills more

than 260,000 of those under the age of

5 there each year. The RTS,S vaccine,

in development for 3 decades, finally

received approval from the World

Health Organization in October, and in

December, Gavi, the Vaccine Alliance, said

it would spend more than $155 million

buying the vaccine and supporting its

rollout through 2025. The vaccine offers

imperfect protection, lowering rates of

hospitalization for severe malaria by

about 30%. But in initial trials, it reached

many children who don’t sleep under

bed nets and are particularly vulnerable.

Another study demonstrated that it is

especially effective when combined with

antimalaria medication given prophylacti-

cally during the high-risk rainy season.

Researchers and public health advocates

will carefully track where the vaccine is

used and what impact it has on malaria

morbidity and mortality. Scientists have

yet to develop any vaccines against the

different species of parasites that cause

malaria outside sub-Saharan Africa.

A revised biodiversity agreement could target invasive species. The recent introduction of the California
kingsnake (Lampropeltis californiae) to the Canary Islands reduced native reptiles by as much as 90%.

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1542 24 DECEMBER 2021 • VOL 374 ISSUE 6575